Mexican wants to be IMF chief

Mexico Central Bank Governor Agustin Carstens wants to be the next head of the International Monetary Fund and is not being shy about his ambition.

MEXICO-IMF - Mexico wants to shake things up at the International Monetary Fund.

Bank of Mexico Governor Agustin Carstens said Monday that emerging market countries should come together behind a single candidate to head the IMF -- him. Carstens says he feels qualified for the position.

The IMF has been lead by a European since the organization was founded in 1946, but the arrest of France's Dominique Strauss-Kahn has sparked a debate over that tradition. He resigned as IMF chief last week after being charged with trying to rape a hotel maid in New York.

French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde is seen as the current front-runner to succeed Strass-Kahn at the IMF, but some emerging market countries say it's time for someone from the developing world to take the lead.

Mexico's Carstens would be among the most serious contenders. He was a deputy managing director at the IMF for 3 years before becoming Mexican finance minister in 2006 and later Bank of Mexico Governor.